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Final surfacing of new Caversham Highway by-pass underway

22 January 2013 12:00 am
| NZ Transport Agency

The NZTA says the last major job on the new 1.4 kilometre State Highway 1 four-lane Caversham by-pass in Dunedin involving applying the final surfacing of the highway should be completed by the end of this week.

This work is part of the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) $20m project to four-lane the highway that opened in October last year.

Acting NZTA Otago-Southland State highways manager Simon Underwood says Downer staff are resurfacing the highway at Caversham between the King Edward over-bridge and Barnes Drive.

“There were a number of factors behind doing the work now. These include the fact that the pavement has now had time to consolidate since the highway opened four months ago, the more settled weather in January and the fact that this time of the year is one of the quietest for traffic flows.

The resurfacing is done in layers, including a chip seal waterproofing coat followed by the final hard wearing asphaltic cement surface.

Mr Underwood said depending on the progress it may be necessary to expand the job to 24 hours a day. We are aiming to have all the work finished on Thursday of this week, but it could stretch into Friday.

“Every effort will be made to keep disruption to road users to a minimum. However, the by-pass will be down to one lane at times. During peak morning and afternoon travel periods, two through lanes in each direction will be maintained at the Barnes Drive intersection to help traffic flows.”

Once completed, motorists will enjoy a smoother riding surface. Those living near the by-pass will also appreciate the noticeably quieter surfacing compared to the current temporary ‘chip seal’. The new surfacing is more durable and the road markings on it will be more visible to drivers Mr Underwood said.

The NZ Transport Agency works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders – from helping new drivers earn their licences, to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport, state highways and local roads.